ALTON – Alton Police have charged a local resident with recklessly firing a weapon and engaging in an act of animal cruelty.
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Jonathon H. Vincent, 20, was charged on Jan. 12, 2026 with a Class 4 felony count of reckless discharge of a firearm and a Class A misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals.
On Jan. 9, 2026, Vincent allegedly discharged a firearm in a reckless manner multiple times in close proximity to another individual, endangering the victim’s bodily safety. He is also accused of striking a one-year-old pitbull dog with his foot multiple times.
A petition to deny Vincent’s pretrial release from custody was filed in this case by the Madison County State’s Attorney’s Office. According to the petition, officers responded to a report of shots fired and were advised upon arrival that the defendant, Vincent, “became upset with the family dog.”
“The defendant, after becoming upset with the dog, retrieved a firearm and discharged it multiple times while other individuals were in the vicinity,” the petition states. “The defendant was later located and admitted to discharging a firearm after becoming upset.”
The Alton Police Department presented the case against Vincent, who was ordered remanded to jail for his initial appearance in court.
All individuals charged are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
